Lisa Rose is exactly the sort of person you want to teach you how to forage for wild food. Her calm, warming voice and extensive plant knowledge make you want to dash out your back door to discover what edible delights lie just beyond.

From fields to woodlands, riverbeds, and lakesides—and even in our own neighborhoods—the beautiful Midwest is rich in delicious wild edibles. Herbalist, forager, and urban farmer Lisa M. Rose helps you find peppery watercress and delectable nettles at a nearby lake in the spring and nutritious burdock roots from sunny fields in the fall.

Try brewing chai from roasted hickory or beech nuts, or capturing the citrus notes of pine needles in a lightly fermented, aromatic ale. Savor the delicate snow-pea flavor of rampant kudzu greens in the southern part of the region, or, in cool-running northern marsh waters, gather nutty wild rice for a foraged feast.
With this savvy guide you’ll learn what to look for, when and where to look, and how to gather in a responsible way.

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"Useful for beginners and those searching close to home.…Introducing these species to kids would be a fun backyard teaching moment for parents."

—Iowa Press Citizen

About the author

Lisa M. Rose

Lisa M. Rose is an herbalist and forager with a background in anthropology and a professional focus on community health. Her interest in ethnobotany and herbal medicine has taken her to study plants, people, health, and their connection to place internationally. Rose leads foraging plant walks and teaches classes on edible and medicinal wild plants. She forages for her own family, herbal apothecary, and community herbalism practice.